I doubt many would defend Blair with regards to Iraq. A quick Google tells me hundreds of thousands died, many were displaced and I suspect many more died of war related illnesses. He should probably be tried in the same court as Putin. .
And yet he was voted in again after that war. People forget that. The finger started to get pointed, and I am no apologist (and some of what he and Bush have said, trying to 'Christianise' some of it, made me angry/puke) but the more you read, the more you realise, any PM of the UK would have followed the US into that pathetic war.
I remember talking to my mom about this war, at the time, saying 'you watch'.
It went along the lines of the same old shit will happen, we won't have learned any lessons, we will allow yet another power vacuum (see Iran, see Afghanistan, see so many situations) because we learn nothing from history and will make a hash of it/not improve the lot of the oppressed in that country.
It would have been easy enough to have improved their lot (not just this war) and make them see the benefits. Instead, it was futile, left many on all sides (not even both sides really is it?) dead/maimed/bitter/more radicalised.
Sad thing is, I'm basically a twat (!) and I could see it. I imagine many of you could see it. And yet our world leaders..................................
You look at these countries/situations/wars. You take a look. What was so bad for them? How do we improve that? The equations really are not that difficult. To have lost your father/mother/son/daughter to a war, is bad enough, but then to see improvements would soften the blow. Instead? Power vacuum, lack of food, no running water, no electrics, no basics. Why would you not become radicalised and hate the West?